In the last two hundred or more years there has been an element in the Jewish community that has strongly advocated for modernization with an emphasis on secular education, science and technology. So many have left faith and traditions behind to blend in with the greater society.
They called their movement Haskalah (wisdom) and referred to themselves as maskilim (followers of wisdom – Haskalah). They tried to assimilate into the greater society in dress, language, manners and loyalty to the ruling power.
Religiously observant Jewish communities were against the Haskalah from the start because it went against traditional Judaism and challenged both the teachings of the rabbis and the role of Torah and mitzvos in education. The Maskilim sided with the worldly powers in plans to increase secular education among the Jewish masses, bringing them into intense conflict with the religiously observant who believed this threatened Jewish life.
The maskilim once approached one of the leading orthodox rabbis seeking to make peace between their two factions. “As you know, our sages teach that peace is the most important thing of all…” they said. “Why should there be arguments between the maskilim and the frum (as the G-d fearing Jewish people were then called)?”
In response, the holy rabbi referred to a verse in Zecharia (8:19): “‘Love truth and peace.’ Why does the verse first mention truth and then peace? This is to teach us that truth is a condition that leads to peace. True, peace is extremely important, but we are only to make peace with truth. From falsehood we must run far away.”
This is also the meaning of the prayer we recite daily, “He Who makes peace in His high places (Job 25:2), may He make peace upon us…”(Kadish) We ask HaKadosh Boruch Hu, the Holy One, blessed be He to bless us with the same peace that He makes in His heavens. We do not want a peace based on falsehood, but only the kind of peace that the One Above makes in heaven – the peace of truth.
The maskilim pride themselves on their many efforts to “modernize Judaism, but this effort is ancient. The prophet wrote, “Because, in truth, because they have misled my people, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace; and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear whitewash on it. (Ezekiel 13:10)
Sadly, that is why the terms to describe Jewish people, frum contrasts with frei (Yiddish). Frum describes the Jewish people who maintain and live by their faith, customs and traditions of Judaism. Frei (free) are those who have become secular or have developed modern observances, or “free from keeping the … commandments.”
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)